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Photo showing first UK built body ready for the top to go on. The holes are the cable routing for battery cables and some weight saving chambering. Fully Ash Body SWBs will now be an ash body with an ash top. So it'll look like one piece, but underneath you've got some stuff going on.

New band, lots of gigs booked... I was time to upgrade the cabs. I was using Rootmaster cabs and regretted selling off my second 1x15. The sound of two 15s was exactly what I wanted. I tried a 1x15 and a 2x10 and always felt something was missing. Those have both been re-homed via Basschat. I happened upon a deal for an ABM Pro Neo. I received it a few weeks back and it was good. But I bought the last one. Then a second turned up as B stock and I just had to get it. So now my rig is a Rootmaster 500 head into TWO 1x15 ABM Pro Neos. Same weight, or lack thereof, as the Rootmaster cabs, but there's a solid metal grille to protect the blue speaker and a bit more authority to the sound. I had the Neo and the Rootmaster side by side for a few days and could feel a difference. Can't wait to push the rig a bit, not that the volume will need to be going above 3 or 4 notches, and feel the bass presence with the band!

My worst purchase was a totally pointless passive DI pedal that I can't in all honesty see me ever using. There is most likely nothing wrong with it and I am sure it would do it's job perfectly well. I just don't have a use for it - got swept away on a tide of GAS after reading about it on here. Will I ever learn? Probably not My best purchase has been a mid-70s Antoria Precision bass that I bought on eBay for not a lot of money. It transpires that someone at some stage had fitted a '75 Fender P pup into it, which kind of explains why it sounds so good. One of those rare occasions where I have come out ahead of the game financially - the pup on it's own is probably worth as much as I paid for the whole thing. Pictured below next to my trusty JV Squier, the Antoria is on the right. The JV edges the tape in terms of tone and build quality, plus it is lighter and the neck is beautifully figured with a rich caramel patina. However, the neck of the Antoria is very slightly narrower and very slightly deeper and feels more comfortable for my hand. Both are cracking basses. Toss of the coin which one I play these days.

Personally I make a point of learning the name of the sound engineer. If something is not right, I query it down the mic but quickly move on. I always thank whoever does the sound regardless. It's just good manners.

Just buy a used CV Squier and never look at the internet again as both the P and J are all the bass you need for 99% of most gigs.

Gail Ann Dorsey...there's more to being Bowie's bassist than just playing the notes...anyone who could make DB smile like he does at 2:31 is doing something very special indeed...

Put a deposit down on a build a few weeks ago. Due about 10 months from now. Heres the topwood, a resin hybrid buckeye burl top. Ignore the shape currently drawn on, its going to be a recurve 6er! Not sure how often Alan tends to send updates but Ill try to remember to keep this up to date. Any questions do ask!

The Fender Standard hex nut arrived - and I also bottomed that issue of the nut 'cracking' loose...because the Fender was even worse! And the problem? Actually both nuts had a taper in their internal threads! I got an imperial bolt of the right size and, sure enough, it would screw in nicely for 4-5 turns and then became very, very stiff. The solution was a quick clearance of the thread with an imperial tap (goodness knows how I came to possess one...but I do!) and also add even more spacers so that the nut doesn't have to screw in so far before it starts bending the neck. So we now have a hex nut adjuster - which will make it much easier for @Happy Jack to adjust it in the future: I reassembled it and was able to adjust from a large relief to dead flat, even with the middle string still in place: And talking of that middle string - when we were in the pub talking about the options to narrow the neck, Jack had noted that the strings didn't really line up with the top fretboard dots in the first place - and I noticed that when I did the mockup above. But I also noticed a stress lacquer crack at the corner of the treble side of the neck pocket when I was taking the neck off. Ahah! There's a clue. This is the effect (this one is purely aesthetic but the little lacquer stress crack less so): And this is most of the cause - the pickguard is encroaching into the neck pocket by enough to push the neck both across and at a slight angle. It's encroaching into the pocket by nearly a mm: I'll plane and sand the side overlap flush (it's perfectly flush at the back) before I set the final position of the nut and start filing the neck narrower - which I will start on tomorrow

Oh looky here!

I don't think you'll see much of a volume difference between 4 ohm and 8 ohm from your amp. More "headroom" is desirable when an amp is running out of steam. Your BB2 is only just ticking over at 400 watts.

I'll probably be in the minority with all this, but you did say you're looking for differing opinions I never thought octave pedals work for this job, because you're not really replacing what the guitarist was doing, especially with something like the OC-2 which won't do chords, tracks poorly and has an remarkably limited sound (seriously, I think it's the most overrated pedal, I don't understand why it gets so much love. The MXR BOD is way better if you want an analogue octaver). I also have no love for polyphonic octave because I've tried a bunch of the "good" ones and they all sounded horrid to me. I think that adding a bit of light dirt and mixing up what you're playing to fill out the sound is the best route for your situation. I'd say to try a chorus pedal too, mainly because they're fun and any cheapo chorus works just fine. Anyway, I'd better go, I can hear the OC-2 fans coming for me... They're at the gates... Tell my wife I love her... I'll miss you all.

Some Asian Dub Foundation to start the day:

Thanks all, I've pulled the trigger on a Unitune.

As it happens Ive been a bit busy with mine too...

I think he’s alluding to the fact that the chambering looks like a screwed up face (similar to the one you’d make eating a sour sweet)?

I thought The Wildhearts, but assumed I'd confused them with Autograph. Curses, I could've been the one to save the day, rather than the berk who said Donna Summer. 😂

How about - The Wildhearts - Vanilla Radio https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Qt2y2oDlG4 John 😎

Exactly the reason I went for a player series precision than any of the American models. The difference in price against the difference in quality don’t correlate at all. Fender play the ‘Made in the US = highest quality” card very well when we all know that simply isn’t true. Being a cricketer, the same marketing/belief’s apply to cricket bats - people I know will only buy £4-500 top of the line bats made in the UK and think that bats made anywhere outside the UK i.e. the sub continent are inferior, when again it’s blatantly not true in the slightest.

This has nothing to do with bass playing, and it's definitely a bit unfair to Tony Visconti, but it is very funny...

Very little. If people pretend they can tell the difference I wouldn’t believe them. The upgrade can be made in a few seconds and won’t cost you much. (Other opinions may exist)

Daaaaaaang son. Looks epic, and somewhat familiar... Here's my ACG 6er that was delivered earlier this year.

Jet Harris was the first bassist I was aware of and listened to very carefully. I didnt have a bass or even a guitar but I still mimed his playing in my bedroom.

Believe it or not, currently listening to the Shadows. Ive ontained a 6 CD set which contains all their studio recordings from 1958 to 1966. All of it is good, some of it positively brilliant. This covers the period where Jet Harris played, and latterly Brian Locking - Jet Harris has quite an ornate style, and as he develops his style you can hear a lot of stuff based on scales. Locking is a simpler player, often locked into the root notes, and while not a bad player isnt half as good as Harris had become.

You're not nuts to be trying out different ideas. If they work it's a winner, if they don't go back to EADG, no loss.

My best - my Geddy Lee Jazz Bass. Tried a few before settling on on that was the bears porridge, just right. Not really had any bad gear purchases in 2021, although the Behringer tuner pedal is a bit underwhelming.

How about some cuss cuss

So did a back to back compare. Where you can select the same sort of thing, the sounds are broadly similar, in that there is no quality increase or anything. Sounds very much like the same engine that powers both of them. There are additional sounds though. Unlike the SY-1, not every type has the same number of variations. So the number of variations is Lead = 30, Pad = 20, String = 14, Bell = 12, Organ = 13, Bass = 11, Dual = 9, Sweep = 9, Noise = 4, SFX = 22, Seq = 18, Arp = 9 The controls are Tone pitch/resonance depth, and there are the controls for bass volume/effect volume. These are saved in the patch though so switching to the patch doesn't use the current levels. It loses the bass / guitar switch on the back as it is now in the menu. The switch on the right, you can set it to do what you want but by default, the hold function is a bit different than on the SY-1 which is useful for my purposes. On the SY-1, when the effect is on, pressing the button holds the note / effect you are playing indefinately. On the SY-200, pressing the button changes to the next patch up. Pressing and holding the button puts it into a hold mode (indicated by it flashing) without changing the patch, and when it is in this mode, pressing the button holds what you are playing like the SY-1. However, as it is now two buttons, pressing the on/off turns the synth off but this is independant of the hold. So if you turn it off while hold is active, it will still be active when you turn it back on. If it was actually a holding a note, it carries on playing that same note it was holding before. Seems pretty useful. All in all, it is a logical progression of what the SY-1 was and if you were happy with the sound of the SY-1 you will be happy with the sound of this, but just get a bit more flexability.

Thanks ! Well it will be for sale 😀

It`s amazing how well a driven sound fits in the mix and fills it out. My fave example of this is Phil X & The Drills doing My Sharona, the bass is just awesome.

As far as I'm concerned these lines are just a rebranding of the old Mexican made Deluxe Active Jazz range, which were previously in the £800-£900 range already so I don't see it as blurring any lines in particular. In the current climate, £950 or so (street price) for an active Jazz bass with 18v 3 band EQ, 12 inch radius neck with satin finish and high mass bridge which says 'Fender' on the headstock seems about right in the current climate. The US made 'active jazz' equivalent of the Ultra series is nearly twice the price. I would actually be interested in trying one.

@Lozz196 we just know an ABM 600 is the next step for me. Let's not pretend here... 😂👍

GR AT cabs - pros: great sound, super light weight, 4 and 8 ohm options; cons: build construction strength, price BF BB2 - pros: great sound, light weight; cons: 8ohm only, price

All of the above could also apply to VW/Audi/Skoda. The main difference will be (perceived) prestige, trim and resale

You wouldn't say Metallica albums 5, 6 and 7 have good mixes? They're not my favourite, musically, by any stretch, but they are sonically magnificent, no doubt about it. That entire OP video is a sham, by virtue of the fact that the AJFA bass tone is on there. Nobody heard that bass tone until the Guitar Hero stems came out. You can't hear it on the album so how can it be a bad tone in the context of the album? If it's just a load of bedroom maestros judging based on hearing it in isolation, and beaching about what sounds bad in isolation, which it is, then it's entirely pointless. How much sneering has been done on here about guitarists with bedroom tone, rather than a tone which works in a band context? I appreciate the guy needs to continually get hits on his channel, but it's a tabloid-level approach to what could have been an educational discussion.

In true "Blue Peter" fashion - here's one prepared earlier.

Well having a quick look there seems to be nothing remarkable about these cabs, looking at the range of MB offer I'm guessing these are going to be their base range speakers in terms of price. There's a couple of mentions of value for money and suchlike amongst the hype. The modular aspect is just a reaction to us downsizing and going for rigs that are just acting as on-stage monitors. You only have to go through the pages here to see that the increasingly normal rig is a 12" cab with a second for 2 'bigger' gigs or when PA support isn't good enough. A few of us are going down to 1x10's with a second held in reserve and there have been plenty o quite long threads asking about 2x12's or two 1x12's. Most of the advice seems to be along the lines of get one of these then add a second identical cab if you need it. MB are just reacting to a market BC is helping to create. Even our own BassChat self build designs are sometimes being built as one cab with a tweeter and one underneath without and people are combining Barefaced cabs (other brands are available) in a one with one without combination. Markbass seem to have a marketing model based upon lots of choice of similar products with small differences, look at the variations of the MBII/III 300/500 amp that are available. The 1x10 200W cab in a 30litre box is completely unremarkable, we've just published our own version of a 200W 1x10 with or without a tweeter a few months back. In the end it will depend upon what it sounds like and what it sells for. @MoJoKe may have more information. My only beef is the 4x10 picture, if you do buy them a vertical stack with the tweeter at ear level please That arrangement looks so wrong!

Spot on. Not only are the ranges overlapping, but the brands are too. For example, the Squier CV's quality and performance is consistently very good, much less variable than the Mexican or American factories. Indonesia are knocking out instruments for pennies that in terms of feel, playability, sound and finish are often easily the match of much of Fender's own branded range (some of which is also made in Indonesia...) under the 7 or 8 hundred quid mark. As a result Squier are nipping at the parent companies own soft underbelly, which must be pleasing for Squier management and uncomfortable for Fender marketing execs. Fender are very fortunate. They're able to live off their image and history, and have a gullible customer base that wrongfully believe the closer an instrument is made to America then the better it will automatically be. Both these factors allow them to set their pricing accordingly to exploit the warping of the market that they created and maintain. Just as well because, as you say, by any other metric their business model is laughable, but these two factors are so powerful they can get away with it.

Just played on this for 2 hours and it’s a game changer for home practice. I’ve never heard a set of headphones this good for guitar and bass. Blown me away a bit.

I reckon most of those songs could be in a list called "songs where the bass player got the tone spot-on" and it would have made more sense.

I love Carmine Rojas' playing on the Let's Dance album. To me that's ultimate Bowie Bass playing.

Is it The Archers theme tune 😉

Agreed Jazz bass and flats played with a pick nearer to the neck is very much the sound of that era and that could easily be what this is but I feel I hear something else, maybe in the recording process or pre-amp. Listening again , I am more leaning towards it being an electric bass with flats and pick. Anyway, it sounds great.

And so, on a 'measure 14 times and cut once' basis, the fretboard taper was cut this morning: And, using a G&W steel fret cutting template as my flat surface, the maple veneer glued onto the bottom - you can never have too many clamps (or radius block cauls)! And that done, I've been able to start the fretting. I'm using Evo Gold fret wire (I've used those on all my personal guitars and basses and the majority of builds for other folk). After de-tanging the ends of each fret: I 'wipe' a triangular needle file along the slot to take the brittle edge off; then apply a teeny thread of titebond; position it in the slot; whack it one side, then the other, then the middle to engage the tangs; wipe off the squeeze-out; then clamp a 12" radius block (the radius of the fretboard) for good measure while I then prepare the next one to be done. 14 done, 8 to go

I'm so glad I have Scott Devine to tell me what to like. I'd be lost otherwise as my taste has not developed in any way. I mean, it's the usual Scott Devine BS clickbait video. People like what tones they like. If it works it works.

Depends what you are complaining about. Fully support The Snuts for this one: